Marble Saga Kororinpa Review

In their insistence on the “Wii has no games” mantra, core gamers can overlook some of the strongest third party offerings on the console. Games that aren’t attached to big brands or huge marketing campaigns are automatically dismissed, a big mistake considering that some of the best gaming on Wii (or on any console) is found in unique titles like Marble Saga Kororinpa. A brilliant game based on a simple premise, Kororinpa can be enjoyed by core gamers and casual gamers alike.

Marble Saga Kororinpa is a simple concept where your guide a round object (you select between different objects such as a marble or football) to a goal, collecting crystals along the way. You control the level itself, not the marble, similar to the Super Monkey Ball games. The twist (literally) is that you control the game entirely using the Wii’s motion control. The level reacts to how you hold the controller, which is both fresh and remarkably intuitive. You can hold the controller vertically or horizontally, depending on which orientation allows you to most comfortably twist and turn the controllers in sync with what you need to do to guide the marble.

Some of the beginner marbles are a little stiff and slow to respond, which is great when you’re getting the hang of the game, but as you advance through the game, you earn marbles with different attributes. Eventually, you find a marble that is just right for you, or you can just insert your Mii into a marble and roll with that. The variety in the marbles keeps things balanced, because you can have you speedy marbles that you use for time trials, but a beginner can still get through a level with one of the slower marbles. This game also provides balance board support on some of the levels, but I was unable to test the functionality.

The real star of Marble Saga Kororinpa, though, are the levels themselves. They are unique, creative, and fun. The levels are set up according to themes, such as fire and ice, and vary in difficulty, but they are all fun to play through. The pacing within the levels provide variety, because while you can barrel through some sections of the game full speed, other sections require a very soft touch to navigate. Likewise, some levels take twenty seconds to finish, and others might take a minute or more. Don’t worry about having levels that you can finish in thirty seconds, though, because there are over a hundred fifty of them, with the ability to create your own.

Once you’ve beaten a few levels, a level editor appears, and you gain more tools to build your level the further out you go. The level editor is fairly straightforward, you add textures and obstacles that you collected from the main adventure mode. It’ll take a few tries to get a properly balanced level, but the payoff is that you can infinitely extend the replay value of the game. As a big bonus, you can share any levels you create with your friends using Wii Connect 24.

The game allows for up to four player split-screen multiplayer matches. The matches are basically a race to the finish, but since the level designs call for finesse in some areas, it can get tense. Whether you are playing single player or multiplayer, you can upload your fastest times to an online leaderboard, where you compare your times against other players around the world.

The visuals in Marble Saga Kororinpa resemble those found in the Super Monkey Ball games, where you have a game board floating in space, which is what you manipulate. The boards are well done, with relatively sharp textures that hold up well no matter how close the camera zooms in. There are large objects such as scissors or other obstacles that are well modeled. The overall art direction calls for a simplistic look, which is fine for this type of game. The particle effects during the moments where you’re being launched or hanging on to a magnetic rail all look good as well.

Marble Saga Kororinpa is the real deal, a deep game with tons of replay value and plenty of features to extend the gameplay. Any Wii gamer complaining about the lack of games on the console should give this game a look first. A bright spot on the Wii’s sometimes shaky lineup, Marble Saga Kororinpa is a must play for any Wii gamer looking for a fun time.